Chelsea Meets Her Father
by TweetyPie82
Summary: Walker enlists the help of his adolescent daughter, Chelsea, to catch a serial kidnapper and murder. Will he be able to save the senator’s daughter and her before it’s too late? FINI PLEASE R
1. At The Office

**Chelsea Meets Her Father**

Chelsea Walker walked down the hallway to the appointed door and entered. The young man behind the desk looked up at her approach and smiled, "I'm sorry Chelsea, but your father is not at his desk at the moment. Feel free to wait for him there." Chelsea looked at him and smiled back, nodding her head as she went by to wait for her father. She walked to his desk and sat down in his empty chair behind it.

Chelsea looked on top of her father's desk and tried very hard not to look through the few files scattered on top. Curiosity won her over, she made sure no one was watching her before she made her move. She quickly opened the upper most file and began to read the information inside. What she found shocked her down to her soul. The man's name was Carlos Rodriguez. His background said he was wanted for kidnaping and murdering small kids and teenagers. She knew that he was a serial kidnapper by the time she was done with his file. She learned that all the victims were never found alive or not at all, at least the youngest ones weren't found. The older ones were abused and looked like Holocaust victims.

She quickly closed the file and started to reach for one of the remaining few to read when she heard the door swiftly open and more than one pair of boots tapped on the floor. She looked up to find her father and his partners walk in. She took in her father's dirty shirt and jeans and knew immediately that he was not in a sociable mood. 'Must have chased a perp and rolled around in the dirt with him or her, just before he or she got away.' She thought as she was thinking how to get the stains out this time. She looked into his brown eyes like her own and greeted him, "Hello Daddy, I was wondering where you were. By the looks of your clothes, I can guess where." She watched as he motioned her to move out of his chair, and replace the empty space with his own six foot frame and light brown hair and well-trimmed beard. She noticed as he looked at the files on his desk, and hoped he didn't remember exactly how he left them.

"Chelsea, did you read any of these files?" He asked her with a look that told her that he would know if she was lying to him. She was seriously thinking about doing just that, but she also remembered that her father would trust her more if she told him the truth. The consequences of doing that would be tremendous, but that is nothing compared to her father's trust in her.

Before she could answer, his main partner called him over. "Hey Walker, come look at this." Chelsea looked to the next desk at the just below six foot frame African-American man. He was sitting at his computer in a suit as the same condition as Cordell Walker's outfit. She managed to get a good glimpse on the screen, before her father blocked her view with his massive body. There was a dossier on the screen, and the picture was of that Rodriguez guy.

Chelsea heard her father ask, "What is it, Trivette?" She saw Trivette point to the screen before Walker leaned forward to read it. "Well, looks like we are going undercover again, Trivette. Rodriguez's playground seems to be Chelsea's school. Which reminds me," He turned around to face his daughter once more. "What are you doing here instead of at school? And don't think I haven't forgot my last question I asked you, either." He demanded of his daughter.

Chelsea looked shamelessly down at her hands giving away her answer to his first question. "Yes to your fist one. Now for number two, remember I was on a field trip with my criminal justice classes today. You wrote a note and attached it to the permission slip saying that I would ride the bus here, but you will take me home and that I should not ride the bus." She looked right into her father's eyes as she answered him. He walked back over to his desk and sat back down.

"Well, I don't like you to be used as bait but I have no other choice. What file did you read?" Walker asked his daughter in a grave tone of voice. He also looked at her to see her reaction to his decision to use her as bait. He could see her stiffen at what he was going to ask her to do.

"Carlos Rodriguez's file, Daddy. I didn't like what I read in it." She answered him in a dauntless tone. She hoped that he could read her body language as well as he could track a criminal in the woods. She was really scared of that man whose file she read. Then again, she also knew that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. She knew that he foresaw something like this when he taught her martial arts for self-defense and self-discipline. She watched him turn his chair to her and reach for her hands.

"You know as well as I do, that he will have to go through me before he can harm a hair on your head and I'm not easy to get through to begin with. Trivette and I will be there to watch your back as well as Sidney and Gage." Walker motion toward the two other people that walked in with him and Trivette. She met the eyes of her father's before moving them to Trivette's, then to Gage's and finally to Sidney's, and then back to her father's before she nodded her head in agreement. "That's my girl. Now that you read his file, I don't have to fill you in on what type of monster this scum is. Do you have any homework?" Walker replied to Chelsea.

"No, I don't have any homework. I'm caught up on all my classes. The only reason I'm doing this is because you said that you, Uncle Jimmy, Sid, and Gage are going to be there to keep an eye on me. I've just got to remember to not to call you by your real names while at school." She mentioned as she remembered what happened last time. She looked over to Trivette's desk and asked, "Daddy, do you think I can play a game of chess on Uncle Jimmy's computer until your ready to go? And when do you plan on starting the undercover assignments?"

Walker nodded his head to give Chelsea permission to ask Trivette if she could use his computer. He watched her ask his partner if she could play on his computer, and his partner's answering nod. He got up and walked over to him and discussed the undercover assignment as soon as Gage and Sidney joined them . They came to the conclusion that they should start on Monday morning as substitute teachers for a majority of Chelsea's classes, in order to trap Carlos Rodriguez and save the senator's niece. Walker told everyone that he and his daughter were going to head back to the ranch to discuss her part in this, and he wanted Trivette to work on their cover stories and get them placed over the weekend.

Chelsea was just about to win the match against her anonymous chess buddy, when her father's hand securely touched her shoulder to signal her that it was time to go and she should forfeit the game. She did as he silently suggested and logged off. She turned around and gathered her belongings and followed Walker to the silver Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab, that she could spot from a mile out. She got in and buckled up her seat belt before turning to him and asked, "Well, Daddy? You still haven't answered my question earlier."

Walker started up the truck and drove out of the parking space and onto the street before answering her, "The four of us decided to start on Monday morning. Since we can't do nothing on the weekend but paperwork and pulling strings to get us placed, I'll let Trivette do the honors in that department. My job is to make you ready for the unexpected and fill you up to speed on what is going on." He saw out of the corner of his eye his daughter's nod of understanding. The rest of the ride to the ranch was in silence, as he mental went over the list of martial arts moves to go over with her to make sure she is not rusty as well as a few he had not taught her for the fatality of the movements. He could also see her thinking the same thing with out the last part, because he led her to believe he taught her everything he knew.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. The Following Monday

I was told that my information was slightly off in the first chapter. "Sidney" was spelled "Sydney", and Walker was not six foot tall but five foot two. Sorry for the mixup.

**Chelsea Meets Her Father**

_Part 2_

Monday morning came, and Walker told Chelsea that she had to ride the bus to and from school so that Rodriguez wouldn't connect the two of them together. She agreed, but was disappointed to hear that. Over the weekend, her father worked with her martial arts skills and taught her a few fatal moves. She was also told about the senator's niece being kidnaped by the man that they are chasing. The senator's niece had only been missing for a few days, and was a few years younger than her. When she got home with her father, she thought that she had gotten away without a punishment or lecture from him about reading case files. She was wrong, he did give her a lecture on the importance of not doing so. Also to enforce the necessity of it, he called Alex, who was away on a two week criminal lawyer conference in Houston, to tell her what could happen if she was caught by Walker's boss.

Chelsea got on the bus as planned, but she didn't see the old beat up pickup truck parked behind some trees. The bus took off toward the middle school she attends, and the truck followed at a distance behind it. A few minutes passed, before the bus pulled up to the front of the school to let the kids off. She stepped off the bus and moved a few feet away before taking a look around her like her father said to do, just in case if she could catch a tail. She mentally filed everything she saw in her mind, almost like taking a mental picture of her surroundings. She didn't see her friend walk up to her until he spoke, "Hey Chelsea, wuz up?"

Chelsea spun around to look into her friend's hazel green eyes, hiding behind his red bangs. She smiled at him before answering back, "Nothing, Sean. How was your weekend?" She asked him, while she was making her way into the school building to get off the sidewalk to see if any one would follow her inside. She also knew that she really can't tell Sean anything about her weekend. She listened to him tell her about his fishing trip with his father, and that he had caught a nine pound bass, but had to through it back because it was too long. They were able to get to their lockers before the first bell rang, and they parted ways. She opened her locker and retrieved her books for her morning classes, before leaving to her first class of the day.

Chelsea's first class of the day was PE, so she went immediately into the locker room to change into the proper outfit. Once she was done, she exited into the gym and sat down in her assigned spot waiting for the class to start. She was slightly surprised to see Ranger Francis Gage walk out onto the floor in a similar outfit and introduce himself, "Hello class. My name is Frank Green, but you may call me Mr. Green your substitute teacher for a few weeks. Your regular teacher had gotten sick over the weekend with the flu." He looked over the class very carefully, when he looked in her direction he seemed to look at her for a few moments longer that the rest of the class. Once he had a general idea of how many students there are, he began to start the class by doing roll call.

The rest of the class went smoothly, and Chelsea had a pretty good workout. Gage had let the class cool down before letting them go change back into their school clothes and reapply their deodorant. Her next class was home room, and she did not receive a sub there. Nor did she get one in English and Computers, but her last class of the day she got the surprise of her life. She walked into her science class only to find Ranger Sydney Cooke erasing the chalkboard, she didn't say anything to her friend turned adoptive aunt so that she won't jeopardize the assignment. She really didn't think Sydney could do much science as was required in the class she was expected to teach to a bunch of seventh graders.

The tardy bell rang and Sydney had shut the door to signal that tardiness will not be tolerated by her. She had turned to the class and took a slow look around and stopping like her partner did earlier, she looked for a few extra moments at Chelsea before continuing her classroom sweep. Once that was done, she introduced herself, "I'm Sandra Clark, but you may call me Miss Clark. Your regular teacher had gotten sick with the flu this past weekend, so I will be taking his place." She started in a tone that told everyone that she will not accept disrespect to her or the class, and she then told them under no certain terms should she allow anyone to enter her class late without a pass from a faculty member. Other than that, Chelsea found the class to run efficiently and effectively. (She also found out that Sydney knew more about science than she led everyone at the office to believe.) The dismissal bell rang as the class was finishing up the end of the chapter questions. As the class began to gather their things to leave for the day, Sydney barked out over the noise of the class "If you haven't finished your class work and handed it in to me, I expect you to finish it for homework and handed it in before the tardy bell rings the next time I see you. Miss Walker, I need to speak with you before you leave." She watched as the young woman nodded her head in answer to her request.

Chelsea knew that Sydney had something important to tell her, of what was anybody's guess. She continued to slow down her packing of her backpack, but not quiet slow enough to give herself away, to give the rest of the class enough time to leave the room before walking up to Sydney. Still being careful Chelsea used the name she gave the class earlier, "You wanted to see me, Miss Clark." She watched the look of surprise spread across the older woman's face, before she answered her.

"Yes, Chelsea, I did. Your father told me to tell you to be careful until he comes home. We all have to stay on school grounds until five o'clock, state law unless there are plans that can't be broken." Sydney passed on the message from Walker. She watched as the young girl nodded her head in understanding and thanked her, before leaving the room to hurry and catch the bus before it left. When she cleared the door, Sydney picked up the phone and dialed an extension to tell Walker that his daughter had left for the day.

Later that evening, Walker pulled up in his trademark pickup truck in front of his ranch house. He parked the massive vehicle and entered his house through the front porch door, and smelled something delicious coming from the kitchen. He had to go see what his daughter was doing in there, so he quietly walked in and stopped in his tracks and smiled big. He saw Chelsea standing at the stove stirring a pot of something and he noticed the oven was on. He leaned against the door jam and watched her do whatever she was doing, he did notice that she had on his apron he used whenever he barbeque on the grill. She cut off the burner that the pot sat on, and then check the stuff in the oven. She must have decided that it was done, because she pulled it out and sat it on the stove next to the pot. She turned around and jumped as if she saw a fairly large spider, "Daddy, why do you do that? You seem to know whenever I'm sneaking around behind your back. Supper is done. I thought we could have some baked chicken, a pot of mixed vegetables, and some slices of bread." She calmed down as she realized it was her father standing in the doorway, and pulled off the apron she had on.

Walker answered her, as he pushed himself off of the door frame. "I didn't expect you to make supper, Sweetheart. Supper sounds good, as well as smell delicious. To make up for my little habit, how about I teach you how to do that later? Okay?" He asked as he gave Chelsea a hello hug and kiss. He fixed his and his daughter's plates and sat down with her to eat. He asked the usual questions, 'How was your day?' and 'Anything I should know about?'. She told him how her day went, and also told him about the pick up that seemed to follow her bus this morning. She failed to get a license plate number due to the distance between her and the vehicle. Her father told her to look for it again tomorrow morning on the way to school. She told him she would do as he asked. By the time they had eaten, it was Chelsea's bedtime. She gave Walker a good-night hug and kiss, and went to bed for the night. Her father followed her shortly, after putting up the leftovers and cleaning up what little mess there was to clean.

TO BE CONTINUEDRight after I listened to Ray Stevens' 'Too Drunk To Fish' for the umpth time.


	3. The Setup

"Never go fishin' with a man who has been drinkin'...'Cause things just might not work out like you wish...Just leave that fool at home to drink, he would just be as happy fishin' in the kitchen sink...Don't go near the water with a man too drunk to fish" Oh, sorry. I must still have the song in my head. (That last play of the song didn't help any, did it?) Well anyway, here is part three as promised.

**Chelsea Meets Her Father**

_Part 3_

Tuesday morning came, and Chelsea repeated her routine from yesterday. When she got off of the bus, she looked around and spotted the same pickup truck from yesterday. It was still too far to read the license plate, so she slowly moved toward it. The driver must have seen her approach because the truck started up and drove past her. She smiled because this caused her to get a license plate number, and she mentally filed it away for later. She didn't see Sean this morning, so she went into the building to get ready for the school morning by going to her locker and getting her textbooks that she will need.

Her first class of the day was math, she walked into her classroom and took her assigned seat. The tardy bell rang and Ranger Jimmy Trivette walked into the room. He placed his briefcase on the desk, and situated himself before beginning the class. "Hello, my name is John Tucker. You will call me Mr. Tucker. I'm your substitute teacher for the next few weeks. Your regular teacher had gotten sick with some food poisoning, but she will be fine." He laid down the school rules and then his classroom rules and told the class that he expected them to follow the rules.

After she had her fill of equations with variables, Chelsea went to her next two periods. She got caught up in her homework from yesterday in homeroom, and learned a few more phrases in her French class before going to lunch. While she was eating, she noticed a Hispanic male watching her from across the street as she was sitting down in the courtyard. The man matched Carlos Rodriguez's description, and she went on full alert as well as added a mental note to somehow mention it to her father this afternoon.

As she came to a decision on how to do that, the bell rang signaling Chelsea that lunch was over and it was time to head to her Criminal Justice class. Her regular teacher covered a lesson on proper search methods. The bell rang for her last class for the day just as she was done with her practice search. She was the first student to walk in to her history class and saw her father sitting behind the desk. She took the note she wrote in her last class and placed it on top of her homework and handed it to him as she passed. She made sure he saw it before she sat down at her assigned seat. She wrote down what she had noticed at lunch, and she knew then that Rodriguez had taken the bait.

Chelsea watched as her father read her handwritten note as the rest of the class came in and took their assigned seats. The last one stumbled in just before the tardy bell rang, and her father got up to close the door. Once that task was out of the way, he started class by introducing himself and looking over the students, stopped briefly at her to give a nod of understanding. "My name is Calvin Washington. You will call me Mr. Washington. Your regular teacher will not be here for the next two weeks, so I will be your substitute." After he made sure that sank in, he started role call and then the lesson for the day. She wasn't surprised to find him making plenty of references to the lengdary Texas Ranger Cooper Hayes, in fact she expected him to do such a thing.

He was in one of his tales as the bell rang, and she listened as the class gave their disappointment, but she knew the tale well enough that she could finish it for him. "Miss Walker, I need to see you privately." Her father requested of her. Chelsea just nodded her head in reply and finished packing her backpack as the others left.

Once she was alone with her father, Chelsea walked up to him and said, "You wanted to see me, Mr. Washington." He looked at her and smiled motioning for her to take a seat. She took one in front of his desk, and he perched himself in front of her on it. He looked her over very carefully, like the time she ran away from her mom and abusive step-dad in Houston when he took in her battered form and beat the living tar out of her step-dad when he tried to retrieve her. This time he was assessing if Rodriguez had shook her up, which he didn't.

"Chelsea, Rodriguez showed himself to his victims just a few days before taking them. Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked his daughter with great difficultly, not really knowing if this trap would work and keep her safe. He got up and closed the door to the room before returning to his seat and the conversation. "Remember when you ran away from your mom and step-dad, and found me at work?" Walker waited for her to nod before resuming, "Your step-dad really did a number on you, and he thought you were his to do as he pleased. He tracked you down a few hours later, and thought he could 'punish' you then right in front of Trivette and me. I handed you over to him to deep you out of the way, while I gave your step-dad a taste of his own medicine. I was angry and mostly scared for your well being then, but this time I'm scared beyond belief for you Sweetheart." He almost choked on the last sentence, and the tears that memory produced in Chelsea's eyes.

Instead of saying anything, she got up and flung herself into her father's comforting embrace and cried all over the front of his shirt. When she managed to control her sobs, Chelsea asked, "Why are you so afraid, Daddy? You never get scared. Not even that time when Alex, Uncle Jimmy, and I were taken hostage by that psycho general and almost drowned in that large water tank." She felt her father's arms slightly tightened at the memory of almost losing her to hypothermia and Alex to drowning.

"Sweetheart, I was scared then. That SOB was playing games with me as he tried to slowly drown the three of you. This time I'm not sure I'll be able to stop Rodriguez from taking you." Walker gently lifted his daughter's face so he can wipe away her tears and that she can see the expression on his face. He wanted her to see just how scared he was for her. "I don't know who is worse your step-dad or me. Granted I don't beat you to a pulp every time I feel like it, but I do put you in danger at least every two weeks if not all the time."

She decided to let her hardheaded father in on a little secret. "Daddy, there is a difference between the two of you. With him I never had the choice of being abused, but you always give me one before allowing me to be I danger. If the courts were involved in my custody, I think they would grant you sole custody of me over my step-dad." Chelsea took a small step back and looked at the clock on the wall. She hadn't realized how late it was, it was already past 4:45 pm. As a matter of fact, the activities bus leaved in about a minute and a half, which was all the way across the school campus. No way was she going to make it in time. Walker noticed her frown just as she was about to explain, "I've missed both school busses. How do I get home now? Also I have a license plate number for you."

Going back on what he said Sunday night, he decided that she was not leaving his sight outside of school. "Change in plans. I'm taking you to and from school starting right now. As for that number, what is it?" He made a mental note of the number she gave him. He put everything in a briefcase he uses for undercover work as a school employee. He picked it up and her backpack, which he handed to her. "Let's go. I've got to stop by the office to check it out before we head home." He led the way out to his pickup truck, and unlocked the doors so they both can get in. He made sure she was buckled in before leaving the parking lot right after he did so himself.

Once Walker and Chelsea arrived at Ranger Headquarters, he told her she could work on her homework while she waited on him inside. She agreed to do so as she followed him inside. She sat down at her father's desk in the chair beside it, and pulled out her homework and began to work on it as he sat down in his chair. Her father picked up his desk phone and dialed dispatch. When the line picked up, he said, "Doris, this is Walker. Could you get me the information for license plate number CUL 8TR, please?" He waited for Doris to pull up the information on the computer screen, and as she recited what was before her he wrote down what he needed and thanked her before hanging up. He nearly shouted, "Gotch ya!" His daughter, who was not expecting that, jumped and nearly hit the floor with her derriere. He nearly chuckled at her expense, but smiled wide at her as she caught herself and resituated back in her chair.

Chelsea saw him smile at her near accident, and scowled at her father. "That wasn't funny, Daddy! I almost hurt myself at your loud remark. What did you find out?" She was really curious as to what made him forget himself. She was really sure that the truck was stolen, if not the plates were. However, she was not prepared for what he told her.

"Rodriguez was dumb enough to use his own vehicle and plates. I don't think that is where he keeps his victims though." Walker heard his daughter's stomach growl, and decided to feed the both of them before it got too much later. "Let me leave a note for Trivette, Sydney, and Gage, then I'll treat you to dinner. Okay?" He waited for her nod as she started to repack her backpack, before making triple copies of the same note and leaving them on the appropriate desks.

Fifteen minutes later, Walker and Chelsea were on their way to the ranch to retire for the day. He stopped by Subway, and got them both six-inch sub meals and ate them there. During the drive, they talked about what would happen if Rodriguez succeeds in kidnapping her. He told his daughter that he would most likely try to break her down before rebuilding her to his standards. He also said that Rodriguez might try to force himself on her. She told him that she understood what that manic might do to her before he tries to kill her.

Late that night, Walker stood in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom watching her sleep. He had only done that twice in his life. First time was when his wife and him had brought Chelsea home from the hospital when she was born. He was afraid to let her out of his sight thinking he was dreaming that. The second time was when she ran away from he mom and abusive step-dad and ran right to him with that bastard right behind her. Then he couldn't believe she was alive with the shape she was in. All those bruises, burns, and cuts over her fragile body. He wondered why he didn't kill that Son of a Bitch when he tried to beat her in front of him. He quietly pushed himself off the doorframe he was leaning on and walked up to her bed. He brushed away the bangs off her forehead, and leaned over and gave her a light kiss.

Walker whispered to her before he left the room to go to his for the night, "I love you, Sweetheart. Don't let Rodriguez break you down, Baby." As he walked down the hallway, he thought to himself. 'Cause if he does, I will kill him with my own two hands. Ranger or not.'

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. The Trap and Aftermath

I would like to apologize to Space-Case7029 for hurting Chelsea. I had already finished the story by the time I had posted part 3, and when I write I have no idea what the characters are going to do until they do it.

**Chelsea Meets Her Father**

_Part 4_

The next two days went by smoothly, Thursday at lunch was when it happened. Chelsea was trying to waste the rest of her lunch break, when all of a sudden Rodriguez showed up. Before she could react, he had her four fingers pulled back to the brink of pain. To any bystander, it looked like an adult was holding a child's hand but she knew there was no way out of this 'come along' grip. She was at his mercy; it would be at least two more hours before her father would know that she was missing.

"Let's go for a ride, Chelsea." He said in a Spanish accent. He led her to his truck and shoved her in through the driver side door. All the while, keeping hold of her hand. She guessed he was involved in a felony arrest, because he started the vehicle with his left hand and put it into gear before driving off. A few blocks away from the school, parked the truck and ordered her to turn around. As she did, he reached behind the seat and grabbed a length of rope. He used the rope to tie her hands behind her back, and put a heavy black cloth hood over her head that he got from the glove box.

Forty-five minutes later, Chelsea was shoved into what appeared to be a janitor's closet. After a few minutes of working the ropes that bonded her hands, she managed to free them. She yanked off the hood to find that she was not alone in the tiny room. In the corner, bound and gagged, was the senator's daughter. Not wanting to scare her too much, Chelsea asked "Cindy Halloway?" She watched the other girl nod her head before continuing, "I'm Chelsea Walker. I'm going to untie you now, okay?" Again the other girl nodded her permission before she started at the ropes with her raw hands.

Once Cindy was free from her gag and ropes, she asked Chelsea "How did you know my name? I don't think 'he' told you." She meant Rodriguez, and Chelsea knew it.

"He by the way is Carlos Rodriguez, a serial killer and pedophile. No, he did not tell me your name, but my dad did. Your dad, Senator Halloway, immediately went to the Texas Rangers for help in finding you. My dad recruited me as bait so that we can better locate you." Chelsea explained, knowing that her father had done some favors for the senator in the past and that Cindy would know who he is. She didn't have to wait long to confirm her suspicion.

"Your Ranger Walker's daughter? I didn't know he had any kids, nor did I know he was married." Cindy exclaimed. She watched as Chelsea started to look at the various bottles and containers on the shelves. She asked, "What are you looking for, Chelsea?"

"Two things, actually. I'm trying to see if any of these labels can tell me where we are, and if I can use them in case of an emergency." Chelsea had already looked at the lock on the door, and knew she could not pick it. Before their conversation got any further, the door flew open and Rodriguez stormed in. he immediately grabbed Chelsea and started to beat her. She let him get a few good licks in before she fought back, really fought back. She was determined to not let him break her. She kicked him in the groin, and then elbowed the back of his head effectively stunning him for a few moments. Not taking the time to get his keys, she grabbed Cindy and pulled her out the door. "We have to run. Now!" She explained to the girl.

Cindy slammed the door closed, and Chelsea grabbed a nearby chair that she shoved underneath the door handle to buy them a few more minutes to get away. They managed to get to the stairs before the chair crashed behind them against the wall. "Cindy stop!" Rodriguez yelled. To Chelsea's surprise, she obeyed him. He was gaining on them and closing the distance rapidly. Chelsea said a prayer to the spirits, and grabbed Cindy's hand.

"Run, Cindy, run! We can't let him catch us." Chelsea encouraged her. She was relieved when Cindy followed her. They were almost to the front door, when he stopped them. "Move aside Rodriguez, or I will make you do so." Chelsea threatened the man before them. She knew that she could put the psycho in intensive care if needed, but no way was she going to let him beat her or Cindy any more. The clock on the wall said it was well after three pm. 'Good, Dad knows I'm missing. It is only a matter of time before he finds me and Cindy.' At that thought, she gave the other girl's hand a squeeze before letting go. She waited for Rodriguez to make the first move, so as if she accidentally kills him it would be in self-defense. No charges against her. Rodriguez tried to give her a right blow to the head, which she ducked easily. It was on now.

Walker closed the door as the tardy bell rang, and looked over the class. His heart stopped when he spied his daughter's empty desk, 'Where is Chelsea?' He knew Rodriguez took her, but asked the class anyway. "Does anybody know where Chelsea Walker is?" A lone, shy girl in the back raised her hand. "Yes, did you see her?" He answered her.

"I saw her get shoved into a beat up old pickup truck outside at lunch, Mr. Washington." The girl told Walker what had happened to Chelsea.

He silently cured up, down, and six days from Sunday. Walker just nodded his head and quickly took roll call. He had already mad arrangements for this with another history teacher, so did the other Rangers. He picked up the phone and called the other teacher to tell her that she is needed. After he got the okay, he told the class "I'm sorry class, but my name is not really Calvin Washington. I'm actually Ranger Cordell Walker, Chelsea's father, and you are going to be joining Miss Balsden's class today." He quieted their questions and made sure the entire class was where they were suppose to be, before trotting off to tell the other Rangers.

Forty-five minutes later, all four Rangers were busy trying to find Chelsea and Cindy. Trivette had gone out to Rodriguez's house to find no one home. Syd and Gage went to talk to his parents to see if they could tell them anything. Walker was at the office working the phones, all the while praying that his daughter was safe with Cindy. Trivette had started to go to Rodriguez's old haunts to see if he can get an old buddy to start talking this time around.

Meanwhile, Sydney and Gage had listened to the Rodriguezs' stories about their boy growing up for about forty-five minutes, before interrupting. "We're sorry, but what can you tell us about Carlos now? Do you know where he works at?" Sydney politely asked them.

"Of course, he works as a janitor at the Dallas Convention Center. I think he is on shift right now." Mrs. Rodriguez told them. Syd and Gage thanked the Rodriguezs before quickly leaving. They did not walk toward their car, instead they ran to it. They barely had shut their doors before Gage sped off toward the convention center.

Sydney placed the light on top of the car and turned it on, before reaching for the car phone to call Walker. "Walker, we know where they are. Rodriguez works at the Dallas Convention Center as a janitor. Gage and I are on our way there now." She heard and acknowledged Walker's order to notify Trivette. She did so, and told him the same thing.

When Walker got Sydney's call, he immediately grabbed his hat and headed for his truck. He buckled up, turned on the siren and lights, and sped toward the convention center. He was the first one there, and he did not wait for the others. He barged in the front door and stopped, only for a second to assess the situation before him. Chelsea was on the floor curled up into a protective fetal position, and Rodriguez was kicking her like a soccer ball. Cindy was curled up into a corner out of reach. He launched at Rodriguez.

Chelsea did not know what happened. First, she was ducking Rodriguez's blows like it was nothing, and then returning a few of her own. Next thing she knew was that he just got faster and faster until she could no longer block or duck them. He managed to get her to the floor, and started to kick her very hard and very fast. The only thing she could think of was to curl up into a protective ball and await rescue. She managed to see her father come in, and become very angry at her situation. She was only glad that Walker took him on, so that she can assess the damage done to her body.

Trivette, Sydney, and Gage came in just in time to see Walker attack Rodriguez for beating up on Chelsea. Gage immediately went to help Walker, Sydney spied Cindy and went to make sure she was okay, and Trivette decided to check on Chelsea. He made a quick assessment of her injuries, and helped her up to where she could see the two against one fight going on.

Chelsea watched as her father attacked Rodriguez from the belt up, and Gage took the belt down. They each gave a few non-effective blows at first, but they slowly became aggressive until they thought he had had enough. Gage took out his left knee with a swift kick, and Walker did a rough roundhouse kick to the chin knocking him unconscious. He stood above Rodriguez's unmoving body a few minutes to make sure he doesn't want round two, and nodded his head at Gage to cuff him.

Now that was out of the way, Walker turned his undivided attention to his daughter. He kneeled down in front of her and asked, "Chelsea, are you okay? Where are you hurt?"

Chelsea forgot about her injuries, and she flung herself into Walker's arms. She winced in pain as a few of her ribs grated against each other. Her father's concern had her wondering if she just injured herself further. "I don't know, Daddy. I think I may have a few broken ribs and some bruising. I don't know who is worse, him," she nodded towards Rodriguez. "Or Bob." She watched different emotions play across her father's face as she mentioned her step-dad's name.

"Chelsea, we had an agreement to not speak his name." Walker chastised his daughter, before looking over her injuries himself. In addition to her ribs, he found a few more injuries that troubled him. There were a few bruises on her back along her spine, and a nasty looking one right over her kidney. What worried him the most was a fairly good-sized knot on the back of her head. Not sure if any internal damages have occurred, he gently gathered her up and carried her out to his truck. He placed her in the front seat, and climbed behind the wheel before she knew what was going on. 'Not a good sign, if she is incoherent.' He thought as he started the truck and headed toward Mercy Faith's emergency room.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Chelsea asked, looking out the window, and knew that this was not the way to the ranch. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and go to sleep for the next three or four weeks, not whatever Walker had in mind for her.

"I'm taking you to the hospital to have you checked out by a doctor." Walker watched as Chelsea's eyes started to close. "Don't you dare go to sleep on me! Not until I get a doctor to see you. Stay with me, Sweetheart. Talk to me." He pleaded with his daughter and God to do as he asked.

"How is Cindy? I forgot to ask her earlier, and before I could do so, Rodriguez interrupted me. He came in and started to slap me around like a rag doll. I let him get a few licks in before I kicked him in the groin and then elbowed his head." Walker knew his daughter's injuries must be worse than he thought, because she was rambling now. He was glad Chelsea didn't see his knuckles starting to turn white on the steering wheel as she mentioned what that bastard did to her. "After Cindy and I holed him up in the closet with a chair shoved underneath the door handle, we were almost to the stairs when he broke out. What scarred me was that he ordered her to stop, and she obeyed him. If it weren't for me pulling her, I really thought she would've gone back to him if he told her to do so."

He pulled up to the emergency room door, and got out before answering her. He went around to her side and got her out, and then headed inside. "Cindy had been with Rodriguez for two weeks. He probably had already broke her, and was just starting to rebuild her to his liking." Walker told his daughter. A nurse was rushing by and he stopped her. "I need a doctor. My daughter was badly beaten." He made sure she saw his badge pinned to his shirt, and the shape Chelsea was in. He watched the nurse nod her head, and then rushed off into a room. A few moments later, she re-emerged with a doctor right behind her. The doctor took one look at Walker and they immediately recognized each other off the bat. "Dr. Dawes."

"Ranger Walker, did you involve Chelsea in another one of your cases, again?" The doctor asked him, as he took Chelsea, who had given up on consciousness a few moments ago, from her father. Dr. Dawes led the way to an examining room, and then laid the child down so that he can examine her.

Walker followed the doctor and his daughter to the examining room. "Actually, she involved herself. I ask her, before I put her in mortal danger. You know that Dr. Dawes." He answered the man's question. He watched as Dawes donned a pair of rubber gloves before starting.

"What happened this time? She looks just as bad as the first time you brought her in." Dawes gently prodded her ribs, his face set in a grim line at what he found. He was prodding at the knot on her head when the other man answered.

"Kidnappings."

"Excuse me?" Dawes' head snapped up at the word. "You mean to tell me that someone kidnapped her?"

"Not exactly. Remember Senator Halloway's daughter being kidnapped a few weeks ago?" Walker watched the other man nod his head in answer before continuing. "We had trouble finding her, so I asked Chelsea for help. I told her up front what was involved, and she agreed to do it. I also told her that I would use her as bait."

Dawes had finished his exam of Chelsea, and straightened up. He looked toward Walker, and gave his opinion both personally and professionally. "Chelsea seems to have a mild concussion and a few broken ribs, but you don't need to worry about internal bleeding. I do however want to know what happened to the Son of a Bitch that did this to her."

"He ended up with a broken left knee and a fairly good concussion, but that is the least of his troubles. In addition to his injuries, he'll get 20 to life in a federal pen if he survived his 15 to 20 in a state prison." Walker answered the good doctor through clenched teeth at the thought of what that bastard did to her.

A few days later, Walker and Chelsea were relaxing at the ranch by riding their horses. Trivette, Sydney, and Gage drove up to the house, and walked around to the back to find the two galloping in sync. "Walker! Hey, Walker!" They all yelled at the pair. Walker signaled to his daughter that they should turn around, and she nodded her head and turned her horse around to head toward the trio with her father.

As the pair approached them, Trivette asked a sympathy question. "All three of us wanted to know how Chelsea is doing?" Walker and his daughter rode right up to them, and started to dismount. Walker did so easily, but Chelsea had a little trouble.

Sydney saw this and gave her a helping hand. Once she was steady on the ground, Chelsea answered the inquiry. "I would be the best person to ask, not Daddy." She walked over and gave him a hug. "Anyway, I'm doing just fine. My bruises are fading, and my concussion is gone. My ribs need a few more, okay, a while longer, but the doctor says I can go back to school on Monday. Although, I can't participate in PE until my ribs are better." She thought for a moment before asking a question of her own. "How is Cindy holding up?"

Sydney took the young girl's shoulders under her arm before answering, "Cindy is doing great, but she hasn't stopped asking about you since she was returned to her parents. Now we have something to tell her." The group looked up as a car drove up in the driveway, and parked near the other vehicles. The driver got out and spotted the group, and headed their way.

As soon as the driver was in hearing range, the group greeted the newcomer. "Hey Alex, how was your trip?" Alex walked up and assessed the group before answering them.

"It was great, and I had fun." Alex looked Chelsea over real good, and then asked a question of her own. "What happened while I was gone for the past two weeks, most especially what happened to Chelsea?"

Walker looked around and made a decision. "I'll explain as soon as Chelsea and I take the horses to the barn, and remove their saddles." He and his daughter did as he said and returned to the group. He took Alex under his arm and made a suggestion. "Why don't we all go inside to talk this over."

As the group started for the house, Sydney again took Chelsea under her arm as the young girl voiced an idea of her own. "Syd, I've got a better idea. Instead of you telling Cindy how I'm doing, how about I write her a note saying how I'm doing?"

"That may not be such a bad idea." Everyone answered her. She was thinking of what to include in the letter as they entered the house.

THE END 


End file.
